Writing or drawing aid devices



y 0, 1966 R. F CRUICKSHANK 3,250,255

WRITING OR DRAWING AID DEVICES Filed Feb. 23. 1965 FIG.3

ATTO/F/VEY United States Patent 3,250,255 WRITING 0R DRAWING AID DEVICES Robert F. Cruicksbank, P.0. Box 356, New Rochelle, N.Y. Filed Feb. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 434,246 4 Claims. (Cl. 120-54) This invention relates to writing or drawing aids. It is well known that when any part of the hand rests on, contacts, or is even merely very close to, the paper in writing, one or more undesirable consequences ensue. It is a broad object of the present invention to avoid such consequences. x

More particularly the present invention has, among others, the following objects: to reduce the normal friction of the hand as itmoves over a surface during the act of writing or drawing; to eliminate or at least greatly reduce contact between the writing surface and perspiration from the hand at all times and particularly in a hot or humid environment; to prevent smudging or streaking by foreign particles, moisture, writing leads or other drawing media already present on the surface or on the hand; to reduce writing or drawing fatigue; and to facilitate writing or drawing by use of the entire arm rather than the hand alone, in accordance with the teachings of the Palmer method of enmanship.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved writing aid to serve the purposes pointed out above, which is simple in construction,-eflicient in use, and inexpensive in cost of manufacture.

The above as well as more specific objects will be clarilied in the following description wherein reference numerals refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended primarily for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the details shown or described except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a fiat cut out pattern of which one form of the writing aid is made.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the writing aid formed of the pattern of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating how the writing aid of FIG. 2 may be used.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view. taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of the writing aid.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of another modified form, and

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of still another modified form.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 10, FIG. 1, designates the flat pattern out of which the writing aid or device 11, FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 is formed. In the case of the various modifications illustrated, the device is preferably made out of a unitary sheet of suitable paper, cardboard, plastic, or the like which has at least the bottom surface smooth and as frictionless as possible in sliding over the writing paper. Further, wherever broken lines are shown in the drawing they represent fold or crease lines. And in general, although the shape and outline or confirmation of the various forms illustrated may be altered or varied, they may be considered as having approximately the outline of the human ear.

The pattern of FIG. 1 is shown having a relatively reduced heel portion 12 and a relatively wider or larger head portion 13. At approximately intermediate the length of the pattern 10, two opposed U-shaped cuts 15 Patented May 10, 1966 are made in the pattern to provide tongues 14 and 14a separated by a portion or width 16. At right angles to the tongues 14 and 14a, parallel crease lines 17 extend across the pattern, being spaced apart the distance 16, thus providing what may be termed a strip 16a. A second set of crease lines 18, parallel to the lines 17, are provided through the base portions of the tongues 14 and 14a. The pattern is then creased or folded along the crease lines 17 and 18 to shape the same into the writing aid device 1 1 shown in FIG. 2. Thus, in the device 11, a hollow ridge 20 is provided approximately intermediate the length of the device, having sloping sides 19 and the strip 16a as a roof. In the process of folding the pattern along the crease lines, the two tongues 14 and 14a remain flat in the plane of the portions 12 and 1:3 and one tongue slides over the other. Consequently, a through passage 21 is provided through the two ridge walls 19 by alignment of the openings 22 left by the two tongues.

The device 11 may be used as a writing aid in the manner shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, by passing the little finger through the passage 21, with the heel of the hand resting on the portion 12 and with the little finger bent around and against the adjacent wall 19 of the ridge 20. Thus, also, pressure of the protruding bent portion of the little finger against the adjacent wall 19 tends to maintain the device in the folded condition shown in FIG. 2; when the device is not in use it may even be laid away fiat, as it is readily and almost instantly refolded into condition for use.

Thus it is apparent that as the writing or drawing progresses on the paper, the smooth bottom side of the aid device slides over the paper rather than any part of the hand, thus protecting the paper and the writing or drawing from the hand.

The modification shown in the pattern of FIG. 5 is substantially the same as that just described, and parts thereof which are equivalent to parts identified in FIG. 1, are as follows: 12a, 13a, 17a and 18a are equivalent to parts 12, 13, 17 and 18; side walls 19a are equivalent to side walls 19; tongues 24 and 26 are equivalent to tongues 14 and 14a. Although the modified form 23 is shown in FIG. 5 only in pattern form, it is apparent that when it is folded along the fold lines corresponding to their equivalents in FIG. 1, this modification will have the same appearance as that shown at 11 in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 with the sole exception that the through passage, which will extend in the direction of the arrow 22 in FIG. 5, will be wider than the through passage 21, because of the wider tongues 25 and 26.

The modification shown in FIG. 6 at 27 is somewhat different in that it consists only of the portions 121'; and 1312 as parts of a unitary fiat sheet having a U-shaped finger grip 28 cut out of the body of the sheet and folded into approximately upright position along the aligned fold lines 29, thus leaving a tongue 30 which remains in the plane of the sheet. This modification is also used by inserting the little finger through the passage 31 which extends through the grip 28, in an obvious manner.

Finally, in its simplest form a writing aid is shown at 32 in FIG. 7, wherein again the parts and are integral parts of a unitary sheet. In this modification .the bottom surface, not shown, is again smooth and as 21 through the ridge 20, thus preventing contact of the finger or fingers which extend therethrough.

It is also apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the device may be manufactured in an extremely simple and inexpensive process. A single stamping operation cuts away the tongues '14- and 14a, FIG. 1, and simultaneously indents the crease lines 17, 17 and 18, 18, in the blanks. And ofcourse the blanks themselves may be stamped out in the same single operation.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A writing or drawing aid device consisting of a fiat sheet of relatively stiff material provided with a Smooth bottom surface having a relatively low coefficient of friction and having a conformation and area conformable to a portion of the hand which is adapted to rest thereon, said sheet having a transverse portion thereof approximately intermediate the length thereof extending upward therefrom substantially at right angles thereto and provided with a passage therethrough through which the little finger of the hand is adapted to be passed to secure the device to the hand.

2. A writing or drawing aid device consisting of a fiat sheet of relatively stiff material provided with a smooth bottom surface having a relatively low coeflicient of friction and having a conformation and area conformable to a portion of the hand which is adapted to rest thereon, the sheet having approximately transversely extending spaced fold lines dividing the sheet into a heel portion and a head portion and an intermediate ridge portion, said ridge portion consisting of a relatively narrow roof strip and sloping side walls extending downward between the longitudinal edges of said strip and said fold lines, said side Walls having aligned passages therethrough thereby providing a through passage through said ridge 4 through which the little finger of the hand is adapted to extend to secure the device to the hand.

3. A writing or drawing aid device according to claim 2, said heel and head portions each having a tongue extension thereon lying in the plane thereof and extend ing from the fold line edge thereof into said through passage thereby providing a bottom floor under said through passage.

4-. A pattern for a writing or drawing aid device consisting of a flat sheet of relatively stiff material provided with a smooth bottom surface having a relatively low 'coeificient of friction and having a conformation and area approximately conformable to a portion of the hand which is adapted to rest thereon, the sheet having approximately intermediate its length relatively widely spaced approximately transverse fold lines and having midway between said fold lines two relatively closely spaced fold lines defining a strip, said sheet having on each side of said strip a substantially U-shaped line out therethrough and extending between the adjacent of the relatively widely spaced fold lines and said stripthereby providing a cut-out tongue having its base aligned with said adjacent fold line, the median lines of the tongues being in alignment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 364,705 6/1887 Crane 12054 926,427 6/1909 Lacy 120-54 988,893 4/1911 Packewitz 12054 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,750 4/1893 Great Britain.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WRITING OR DRAWING AID DEVICE CONSISTING OF A FLAT SHEET OF RELATIVELY STIFF MATERIAL PROVIDED WITH A SMOOTH BOTTOM SURFACE HAVING A RELATIVELY LOW COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION AND HAVING A CONFORMATION AND AREA CONFORMABLE TO A PORTION OF THE HAND WHICH IS ADAPTED TO REST THEREON, SAID SHEET HAVING A TRANSVERSE PORTION THEREOF APPROXI- 